This invention relates to the field of dispensing apparatus. More specifically, it relates to the field of coin operated dispensing apparatus having means for preventing actuation of the dispensing apparatus if the objects to be dispensed have been exhausted.
Numerous types of apparatus have been developed for dispensing objects of almost every imaginable shape, size and composition. One particular type of dispensing apparatus is that capable of dispensing elongated cylindrical objects, such as pencils, which have a predetermined cylindrical axis. Examples of such vending machines are found in patents to Lux, U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,012, Loomis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,054,528 and Garvin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,997. While these prior art devices have met certain needs, the apparatus contained in those devices for stopping actuation of the dispensing apparatus upon exhaustion of the pencils or other objects to be dispensed has comprised a variety of complicated mechanisms utilizing pivots, levers and springs. Due to their complexity and the number of pivotally related components, these devices may become unreliable after a period of operation.